A rumor floated to the surface this weekend from Avengers News (via Collider) that Marvel and Josh Holloway were engaged in discussions about the possibility of Holloway entering the Marvel Universe. To what extent those rumors are true or the seriousness of those discussions, we do not know. Moreover, the rumor did not carry with it what character Holloway might play in the Marvel Universe.

Of course, those open-ended rumors are great, in some respects, because it allows us to speculate, and there's nothing more fun than idle speculation on a slow news day. Avenger News offered up several possibilities, including Hawkeye, Ant Man, and Dum Dum Dugan. Sadly, with our comic-book expert making his way back from Wisconsin, our own speculation will have to come from a laymen today (that's me), but a laymen with a tiny bit of insider-y-context to bring to the speculation.

What we do know about the Marvel Universe beyond The Avengers is somewhat limited. Sam Jackson has suggested that there will be a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie beyond The Avengers, and the Marvel brain, Kevin Feige, has confirmed speculation that the studio will focus on some minor characters in the Marvel Universe. He mentioned in an interview with Collider that he'd be interested in developing movies around Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Ant Man, and Iron Fist. And we happen to know, based on our own sources, that that was more than just idle speculation -- three of those four projects, as well as Daredevil 2.0 and a movie based on Power Pack are in the early stages of active development. (The long in-development Power Pack movie, in fact, is a high priority family film and is currently in rewrites).

Where could Holloway fit into that universe? I'd hate to think that Daredevil 2.0 is where he's heading, but that doesn't seem out of the question. You can rule out Power Pack, as it's kid based. Iron Fist doesn't work, either, as its focus is on a young boy, Kyunlu. Black Panther doesn't work, either, has he's a black superhero and Holloway doesn't exactly fit the skin tone. That leaves Doctor Strange, based on my own completely ill-founded speculation. That doesn't seem too far fetched, though: Doctor Strange was a cruel neurosurgeon who lost the use of his hands, only to be given the chance to redeem himself when he acquired magical powers. I could see that for Holloway. He's certainly got a cruel edge, but there's something redemptive underneath. Also underneath: Abs.

So, yeah: Based on my completely unfounded speculation and a teensy bit of knowledge about the development status of several projects over at Marvel, I put Josh Holloway's chances of being Doctor Strange at 17 percent and his chances at taking that second crack at Daredevil at 6 percent.

So says the Pajiba Swami.

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here or follow him on Twitter.